Trace-carrier



(No Model.)

B. A. NICHOLS.

TRACE CARRIER.

No. 490,980. Patented Jan, 31, 1893.

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UNITE TATES ATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD A. NICHOLS, OF OROCKETT, TEXAS.

TRACE-CARRIER.

$PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 490,980, dated January31, 1893. Application filed August 29, 1892. Serial No. 444,426- (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD A. NICHOLS, a citizen of the United States,and aresident of Crockett, in the county of Houston and State of Texas,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Back-Band Bucklesfor Chain Harness; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersbuckles for harnesses, and it consists in the.

novel construction and combination of parts, all as hereinafterspecified.

In the accompanying drawings, the letter A designates the frame of thebuckle, comprising the top bar a, the angular end bars I), b, curvedforwardly at their lower portions,

and the lower bar 0, which is set forward of the plane of the upper bar.

B designates the tongue frame of the buckle, comprising the lower bar01, journaled at its ends in theend bars I), b, and lying behind thelower bar 0 of the buckle frame, the short end bars e, 6, within the endbars b, b, and the tongue barf, carrying a series of tongues g. Thesetongues are bent or offset at g, as shown, in order to allow the backband to pass through the buckle as nearly straight as possible.

Through the tongue bars is a series of small perforations h, whereby thebuckle may be attached to a sweat leather 0, by sewing or other suitablemeans. This sweat leather presents a smooth surface to the animal,

whereby rubbing or chafing is prevented.

Integral with the lower bar d of the tongue frame, and dependingcentrally therefrom is an arm D, which is bent back upon itself to forma loop E, at right angles to the plane of the buckle, and open at itsupper end. On the lower bar 0 of the buckle frame is a projection F,which, when the parts are in applied position, is adapted to close theopen end of the loop. This loop forms the trace chain carrier, and as itis only sufficiently wide to hold one link G at a time, the trace chaincanonly slip backward and forward the length of one link. This looparrangement, holding the entire link prevents the links of the tracechain from slipping back past the hook when said chain is slack, so thatwhen draft is applied, the ends of the links catch the loop or hook insuch a manner as to often break the link. I Where only one side or linkis held, in order to insert or take the chain out of the loop, it isonly necessary to turn the top portion of the buckle back as though tounbuckle it from the back band.

It will be apparent that as the tongue frame is pivoted in the lowercorner portions of the buckle frame, the strain is taken off from thecenter of the buckle, where the ordinary buckles often break, therebymaking the device much stronger and better capable of standing heavystrains.

Having described this invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent,

In a combined back band buckle and trace carrier, the combination withthe buckle frame, having its lower bar 0 set forward of the plane of theupper bar, of the tongue frame within said buckle frame, and having itslower bar 01 behind said lower bar 0 and pivoted in the lower angles ofthe said buckle frame, an arm D carried centrally by said lower bar 01,and bent to form an elongated vertical trace carrier loop, open at itsupper end, and an arm or projection F on said lower bar 0 adapted toclose said loop, said arm or projection being raised from said loop whenthe buckle frame is turned backwardly, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD A. NICHOLS.

Witnesses:

W. A. CHAMPION, J. W. NIoHoLs.

